'Festival of Lights' a labor of love

Rosalie Currier

Monday

Dec 11, 2017 at 2:00 PMDec 11, 2017 at 2:31 PM

To say the Ron and Chickie Morris share the spirit of Christmas is an understatement. The rest of the year, their home at 878 N. Snow Prairie Road, Union City, looks like a modest farm house on a gravel road.

To say the Ron and Chickie Morris share the spirit of Christmas is an understatement. The rest of the year, their home at 878 N. Snow Prairie Road, Union City, looks like a modest farm house on a gravel road. But during the Christmas season a glow from their block illuminates the night sky for miles. Up close, “Ron and Chickie’s Festival of Lights” invades the darkness with sights and music of Christmas. In the yard the Morrises missed nothing. There is a nativity scene, snowmen, reindeer, Santa, angels, the little drummer boy, nut crackers, the star – and not just one each, but many lighted ornaments. From 6:30-8:30 on Thursday through Sunday from Thanksgiving night to Christmas night, they open their home to the public. Guests can tour five rooms transformed from their normal living space into a floor to ceiling collection of all things Christmas. “Some children think this is where Santa lives,” Chickie said. It defies description with collections such as 700 different Santas, endless animated pieces, dolls, animals, trains, music boxes, Swarovski Crystal figurines, villages, nativities and so much more. And it draws a crowd. “We get hundreds of people from everywhere – all over the country,” Chickie said. “It’s next to impossible to estimate how many people come.” As amazing as all the decorations are, the Morrises generosity is equally as stunning. Each child who visits inside, goes home with a small gift and a goodie bag. Everyone is welcome to snacks and treats on their way out. That is scaled back from the past when Santa visited one night each season and gave each child a full sized gift. No matter how long then Santa line was, “I never ran out of gifts” Chickie said. She made sure of that by shopping sales all year. However, 2016 was the first year with no Santa night. Because it drew an estimated 1,000 visitors it became overwhelming, not to mention expensive as the Morrises gave it all from their own pocket. Guests inside the house often ask “Do you leave it up all year?” The answer is no. After setting up temporay shelving, Chickie displays every piece herself. “I start in August,” she said. Tear down goes much more quickly. Ron is busy in the yard each day repairing pieces and replacing lights. As soon as they close for the season, the yard ornaments come down. In their 20 years of experience, the Morrises learned to store it all before the new year because of the toll winter weather take on the displays. “Inevitably we get a snow storm,” Chickie said. “And they get frozen in the ground.” Why do the Morrises do it all? For Chickie, it’s an overflow of her love for the season and the joy on children’s faces. Now those children are third generation visitors, coming with parents and grandparents who have made it a family tradition, she said. For Ron, it is also for love. “I love my wife,” Ron said.

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